Notes by the Way in A Sailors Life | Page 2

were record voyages made in the glorious days of
"teaclippers."
A. E. Knights.
Hong Kong, June, 1898.

A Record Long Passage.

First Cotton From China to America.
During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse - when
freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of
six hundred miles - I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary
ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863, and
saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part of
China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker"
had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the
"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the
river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had
to clear out.
My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the
"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging to
the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul
Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I
agreed with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of
the vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of
loading cotton for New York - the first from China to America. After
completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we
came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather
and water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity
for the barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we
started the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides.
On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got
out into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a continuance
of calms and squalls. The ship was unable to stand up under her canvas,
having no ballast, and being, as it were, stuffed with cotton. Well, at
last we reached Anjer, eighty-four days from Hongkong. The ship was

one mass of barnacles as large as "egg-cups." I sent overland to Batavia
to buy some garden spades, to be fitted on to long poles, so as to try to
chop off some of the shells, which we did, and after five days' delay we
sailed again. From Sunda Straits we had a good run till near the Cape.
Here we had calms again, and the grass and barnacles grew very fast.
Indeed, the ship's bottom was like a half-tide rock, and when the water
washed up the sides, as she rolled, the noise made by the barnacles was
like the surf on a sea-beach. We were followed for several days by a
shoal of dolphins, which we caught in great numbers night and morning.
Finally we got round the Cape, and to St. Helena, where we stayed four
days, and employed men to assist us in chopping off grass and
barnacles as far as we could reach. Then we proceeded on our way
once more.
We had a wearisome time in the "doldrums" about the equator, only
enlivened by catching dolphins and watching crabs, which would leave
the grass for a swim and then return to the ship. After getting clear of
the calm belt, we had a very good run to Bermuda, where we
encountered a heavy gale, with tremendous heavy seas.
When the weather moderated we found to our dismay that the rudder
was adrift, the pintles having been broken by the heavy seas. I was now
compelled to put before the wind and run for St. Thomas, in the West
Indies, and when near the entrance of the port a passenger, Captain
George Adams, "went off his head," and thus gave no little addition to
my anxieties. Finally we arrived safely in port. Here more troubles
began. I was advised to do many things, some of which would have
been much to the benefit of some of my advisers. One thing was to land
and store the cargo.[*] This I positively refused to do. But after all I
found that there was only one European blacksmith in the place, and he
had but a small shop. This man contracted to do the repairs, and after I
had got the rudder to his shop he coolly asked me if I had a good
carpenter or other handy man to help him, as the job was too heavy for
his negro assistant to weld. I proposed to him another plan. So at last
the work was done satisfactorily, and we went on our way with partly a
new negro crew, some of the old crew